Their Happily Ever After
by Airreon Princess
Summary: Prime. After Optimus and Arcee's wedding, things at Omega-1 seem peaceful, until a mishap leaves the team one member short. With time ticking down fast, will Team Prime find their family? Or will they lose them to the Decepticons? Sequel to The Fun List. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everybody!**

 **I'm bored right now so I decided to start the sequel to The Fun List! This will primarily be centered around Optimus and Arcee (and the baby...eeee!) I might build the relationship with Jack and Miko, but I'm not sure. I don't know how long this'll be, it really depends on how many of you like it.**

 **This'll be a very short chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: For the last time! I don't own Transformers prime, the characters (except for Optimus' and Arcee's baby) or the plot of the show. It belongs to Hasbro...dang…**

XXX

Optimus groaned as he awoke. He went to rub the sleep out of his optics when he found that his arm was pinned against the berth. Looking to see what caused this, he found his wife, Arcee, with her head resting on his arm and winglets to the berth. One of her hands was sandwiched between her head and his arm, and the other rested atop her stomach. He smiled at this.

Him and Arcee had recently found out that Arcee was sparked with their sparkling. They've often spoken and dreamed of having a family before they were married, and now, that dream was a reality. Optimus couldn't be happier. He was married to the most beautiful and wonderful femme he's ever met, he was going to become a father, and the Decepticons had been quiet for months.

Being careful not to wake the sleeping beauty, Optimus placed a hand on her stomach to see if he could feel any of the sparkling's movements. He couldn't, of course, it was only 2 weeks old, which, granted, was one sixth of the journey.

Cybertronians were sparked for only 3 months, 12 weeks. That way, it made it easier to predict the due date and made couples rush to get the place ready for sparklings. But they were always worth it...at least, that's what Optimus' friends said before the war. Quite a few of his closest friends started a family, he was slightly jealous at first, but now, he was glad that he didn't start a family. It would be irresponsible to bring an innocent child into the beginning of the war. However, the middle to end of the war was still kind of irresponsible, but the Prime could care less.

Arcee groaned and shifted positions before her optic lids fluttered open. A smile appeared on her face when she saw her husband with his hand still on her still flat stomach. She placed one of her hands on top of his.

"Good morning, love."

"Good morning."

Arcee sat up and propped herself on her remaining arm, facing Optimus. He did the same, their hands still connected over where the sparkling was growing. Arcee sighed happily.

"I still can't believe it." Optimus grinned.

"Neither can I."

"I can't wait until we can tell them. Can we do it today?" Optimus stroked her belly once and exhaled slowly through his mouth. He looked up at Arcee; her optics were begging. She wanted to tell everyone. He simply couldn't deny her that any longer.

"Very well Arcee. We can tell them."

Her face literally lit up, the light in her optics glowing ever so slightly brighter. Optimus beamed at her before removing his hand from her stomach to go and get ready to start another day.

Once they were both ready and presentable, the pair walked out into the main room, their hands entwined with each other's. The kids were conversing with their guardians, minus Jack, who, when Optimus and Arcee walked into the room, glared slightly at the cobalt femme. She saw this and subconsciously tightened her grip on Optimus' hand. He was still mad that she couldn't spend any time with him anymore. She was always either on patrol or with Optimus. And the fact that she couldn't transform anymore really irked him.

"Hello everyone," Optimus greeted, "How did everyone sleep?" Miko shrugged from her place on the couch.

"Meh. Host parents threw a party for their friends. They're going to have a baby or something. Man, they were loud as heck." Arcee tensed.

"That...must've been quite the shock."

"Yeah. But they just got married. I always see newlyweds with babies on the way. They just can't help themselves I guess…going at it like rabbits..." **(A/N: Saw that in a story once, I had to use it!)**

Bumblebee placed his hands on Raf's ears. He beeped something at Miko. Bulkhead snickered.

"Miko. Don't say that in front of Optimus and Arcee. You'll give them ideas." Miko let out a laugh.

"Ha! I wouldn't be surprised if Arcee was quote unquote "pregnant." Yeah, that would be hilarious!" Miko and Bulkhead turned to face their leader and SIC. What they saw made their jaws drop open and caused Bumblebee and Raf to turn around and do the same.

Optimus stood behind Arcee. He had one arm around her waist and one hand on her stomach. Arcee placed one hand over his and the other on the other side of her metal-plated belly. Arcee shifted her optics to her stomach paneling and smiled. She looked back up at the humans, Bulkhead and Bumblebee.

"Surprise."

They expecting couple was suddenly overwhelmed by hugs and a flurry of "Congratulations!" Optimus and Arcee thanked them with all smiles. In all the excitement, Bulkhead stooped down to Arcee's stomach and yelled, "I'M GOING TO BE AN UNCLE!"

Arcee laughed and facepalmed.

"Bulkhead, it's only 2 weeks old. It can't hear you."

"Well how would you know?" Arcee rolled her optics.

"Uh, it's inside of me...I can feel it...and the fact that it's only _2 WEEKS OLD_!"

"Ok! Ok, I get it Cee. Congrats."

"Thanks!"

Jack piped up from the yellow railing. His arms were crossed.

"So, Arcee. This is why you couldn't transform? This is why I was mad at you?" She nodded. His reaction was unexpected.

"Well this is just _perfect,_ " he said sarcastically. "Now you won't have any time for the team or me. It's always you and Prime." He adopted a fake girl voice. " _Oh, me and Optimus are going on a mission. Me and Optimus have to watch the baby. Me and Optimus have no time for anyone else!_ " Jack's voice got louder and louder as the sentence progressed. By the end, he was all but shouting. And it was all directed at his guardian. The guardian in question had tears in her optics. Arcee looked at Jack with a mix of shock and sorrow.

"...Jack…"

"No, forget it. Call me when the baby leaves for college, _then_ I'll come back."

Jack activated the groundbridge and casually walked through it without a second glance. Arcee, who was in shock, was faintly aware of her husband pulling her in close. He whispered that it wasn't her fault in her audio receptor. She was faintly aware of the tear sliding down her cheek. She was fully aware, however, of what she had to do. Arcee broke out of Optimus' embrace and entered a set of familiar coordinates.

"Arcee, dear, where are you going?"

"I have to talk to Jack. He's my partner, and partners stick together." With that, the bridge swam to life and the sparked femme walked through it, not knowing that this was the last time that she's see her family in quite some time…

XXX

 **Ha ha! That's it for chapter 1! Next chapter, she'll talk to Jack. And something else happens too, but I'm not telliiiiing! Don't forget to rate and review, it fuels the fire of my motivation!**

 **Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, 9 reviewer on chapter 1 alone? Thank you so much!**

 **I wrote this chapter in a notebook on vacation last week. I had to keep it hidden from my sister who wanted to read it...siblings… Just a short chapter, I promise the next one will be longer.**

 **Do I really have to do Disclaimers anymore? Everyone knows that I couldn't pull off something as epic as Transformers Prime...I know Hasbro could...**

XXX

Arcee exited the groundbridge. She knew that her husband would have a fit because of her recklessness, especially now that she was carrying. But she needed to talk with Jack to explain some things, which, granted, wouldn't be easy.

Arcee could tell that Jack was in the garage by the slightly orange-hued light bulb.

She tried to think of a way to start the conversation, and fast due to the fact that she was in plain sight of civilians. She lifted the garage door without difficulty. Arcee slid in and closed it before she was cut off by her charge.

"Come here alone, Arcee? I would've bet that _Optimus_ accompanied you," Jack sneered without looking up from the bike he was repairing. It looked familiar to the femme; she saw it on that fateful day at K.O. burger. Jack was fixing it to replace her.

"No Jack. Optimus didn't come with me. I wanted to talk to you alone." Jack scoffed and replied cooly and sarcastically..

"Really? Without your own husband? I'm shocked…"

"You aren't making this any easier Jack. I'm trying to apologize!" She could feel her emotions begin to control her; stupid sparked protocols. Arcee struggled to keep them in check.

"You don't have to Cee, I meant what I said back at base. Call me when the, sparkling, was it, grows up." With that, Jack dropped his cloth into his toolbox and put it on the couch. He sighed.

"Look Arcee. I know that you probably hate me, but I grew up with no siblings, just my mom and I, and for some reason I feel that when you and Optimus have your baby, you won't have any time for me...I sound so pathetic." He plopped down on the couch and buried his head in his hands, causing the toolbox to lift slightly. He expected Arcee to either fume or leave, but she did neither.

Jack felt a warm metal hand on his shoulder. He glanced up and saw his guardian, tears in her eyes and a sad smile on her face.

"I...didn't know you felt that way. For a second, I thought you actually hated me."

"I could never hate you Cee. We're partners. No matter how much you _might_ bug me," Arcee glared at him, "we can't just get rid of each other. Together to the end." Arcee have him a light hug. She didn't even know she was crying until Jack wiped away a tear off of her face.

"No need for those," he said softly, "and never again, ok?" Arcee sniffled then nodded.

"Ok." A comfortable silence fell over the duo as they gazed at each other. Jack cleared his throat, catching the femmes attention. He dug his toe into the ground, swivelled it, and rubbed his upper arm bashfully, as if he was thinking something embarrassing. Arcee smirked and leaned in closer. She poked his free arm.

"What? Spill it Darby." He bit his lip.

"C-can I feel?" Arcee raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the left.

"Feel what?"

"Never mind."

"Seriously Darby...what?"

"Fine. Can I feel the baby...sparkling...please?" Arcee smiled.

"Go ahead."

She leaned back a bit to give Jack some room. He cautiously approached, as you would a wild animal. Arcee nudged him forward with a flick of her wrist, causing him to stumble towards Arcee's distended midsection. He looked up at her, confused.

"What is it now, Jack?" He shrugged.

"I don't know how…"

"Oh come now Jack, surely you've felt a spark-baby before."

"No, I really haven't. No siblings, remember?"

"Right. Well," Arcee started, taking Jack's hand in her own, "You lift your hand...and place it right…" she placed Jack's hand on the centre of her stomach, "...here." Arcee kept her hand over Jack's for a moment, then let him go.

Surprisingly, Arcee's stomach wasn't cold, in fact, it radiated heat, like skin. He ran his hand gently over the expanding metal, feeling for even a hint of life. But Arcee was only two weeks along, so there was no way that there'd be any movement…

Suddenly, Jack felt a small tap from beneath the warm alloy. Arcee must've felt it too, because she gasped and put a hand on her stomach too. Jack asked what she felt.

"It...it was like...just...wow. The sparkling kicked; i-it has never done that before." A motherly smile danced across her face. She rubbed her midsection. In human terms, Arcee would look about 3-4 months pregnant.

"It was wonderful…" Jack looked up and met the eyes of the femme. He smirked and pressed an ear against where the sparkling was. Her stomach jiggled as she laughed.

"What are you doing?"

"Listening," was all he said. Her stomach jiggled again.

After about a minute of having his ear pressed up against the alloy, he heard a hum. Knowing it wasn't Arcee's he smiled. A tap interrupted the hum, obviously a kick. ' _This sparkling will be great in combat, the way it kicks like this_ ,' Jack thought. He pulled away from Arcee's midsection.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

The two embraced before Arcee bid farewell and cautiously slipped out of the garage. She decided to go for a quick walk, intending to enjoy this time out of the base before she would confined to it for 2 months and two weeks...approximately, until the sparkling arrives and keeps her and Optimus on their toes. Luckily, there was a small, shallow crevice instilled in the rocks about a mile from Jack's neighbourhood, and it was out of view from civilians. Plus, she'd gone there before and been completely safe.

Almost a minute after she left the Darby residence, the sparked femme thought about her sparkling. Mech or femme? She didn't really have a preference. What colour would it be? Given that both Arcee's and Optimus' genetic colour scheme, the baby could be red, blue, purple, or in a rare case, teal. Arcee's mother, Skyracer, had been teal, the same colour as Optimus' father. When the sparkling grew up, they could change it however they liked, but Arcee really hoped that it would keep their original scheme. She placed a hand on her expanded midsection and grinned.

"I love you, little one."

"Awww! How disgustingly sparkwarming!" a voice sneered from above Arcee. She raised her head and saw 3 vehicons being led by the one and only Starscream. He transformed and dropped to the ground, signalling to the remaining seekers to follow suit.

"The great and powerful Arcee...sparked with an Autobot abomination. Lord Megatron will be thrilled to congratulate you!"

Arcee shifted into a combat stance, having already tried and failed to contact base, Optimus or anyone else. As usual, the cons carried a scrambler to leave any lone Autobot without backup, which could prove fatal to Arcee or the sparkling. With a growl, Arcee pounced.

Starscream extended his talons and ran at the femme before trying to slash her stomach. She brought her knee and blocked his attack and right hooked the Seeker, causing him to stumble back, giving Arcee the chance to strike.

Performing a spinning back kick, Arcee aimed the strike to Starscream's chest. Starscream expected this and caught her leg with lightning speed, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Arcee landed perfectly and used her momentum to push hard off of the ground, bladed extended. towards the Seeker's face. He noticed this attack too late and caught the femme's blade straight to the mouth.

Starscream howled in pain and fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding mouth. Arcee stood victorious over Starscream and spat on him.

"Pathetic...AAAARGHHHHH!"

One of the vehicons managed to steal Knockout's energon prod and stabbed Arcee's side with it. Electric tendrils danced over the femme's frame like the movement of water in a shallow pool. She collapsed to the ground, unconscious. A different vehicon knelt down to her still form and muttered, "Forgive me," before slinging her over his shoulder. She hung limp as a ragdoll, her arms dangling freely.

The last vehicon stood beside the Decepticon SIC and helped him get up. Energon rushed from the cut starting from the edge of his mouth upwards ending at the middle of his cheek. The glowing energon spilled through his talons. His red optics blazed with burning inferno. The vehicon backed off slowly, startled by the hatred running through his commander's optics. The enraged seeker fired a missile unexpectedly at the poor clone's chest, offlining him instantly. The remaining two drones didn't dare move.

Starscream suddenly grinned, surprising both vehicons. It slowly escalated into cackling laughter. A plan was forming in Starscream's twisted mind. The vehicon holding Arcee asked what to do with her. Starscream turned to face him.

"We will keep her in captivity until her sparkling arrives...then we terminate her. You two will stand guard."

"And what of her sparkling?" Starscream grinned again.

"We welcome it with open arms as a Decepticon…"

XXX

 **Sorry folks, that's it for this chapter. I would say that the next one will be up soon, but it probably won't with last minute plans and back to school shopping and such. *sobs* My best guess will be it'll be up early September. I have no clue though.**

 **But I assure you that THE STORY ISN'T OVER YET! Next chapter, Optimus has a nervous breakdown and Arcee gets some unexpected help from inside the enemy ranks…**

 **Bye everyone! Don't forget to rate and review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok. I wanted to get this next chapter out of the way before I go on another last minute vacation. It** **will** **be very short. My goal is to post it today, August 24. Let's see what happens… I don't own TFP, by the way…**

XXX

"What crawled up his tailpipe and took a crap? He's being all squirmy..."

"Miko! Be a little more sensitive!" Raf scolded, but he knew that Miko had a point. Optimus had been pacing for half an hour without stopping. Ratchet and Bumblebee tried to reassure him that Arcee is fine and she'd call for a groundbridge and walk through unharmed with Jack in tow, but it went in one ear and out the other. The two children haven't seen Optimus this nervous in...well...never.

Optimus checked the glowing, translucent screen for the 7th time, praying that Arcee would contact base. Of course, the transmission folder was bare.

All of a sudden, a small ding emanated from the folder. Optimus was at the screen before Ratchet was, typing away to see who sent it. Unfortunately it was Bulkhead wanting a groundbridge. Optimus sent one to his location.

Bulkhead drove through the swirling vortex, stopped, and let Jack out of the driver's seat. He transformed and gave Jack a sad look. Jack returned it, making Optimus' spark break. He ran up to Jack and kneeled.

"Where's Arcee?" Jack could see that Optimus was shaking in fear for his wife and unborn child. He sighed. He didn't want to worry the Prime, but he deserved to know the truth.

"Arcee...got captured. It was Starscream, I'm sorry Optimus," Jack revealed, hanging his head in sorrow. Optimus didn't move, he just stared above Jack's head at the now deactivated vortex. His optics were wide, the glowing 'pupils' fidgeting around in their sockets. Optimus stood slowly his optics never leaving the spot that he was staring at before.

A single tear rolled down his cheek.

That single tear was followed by more, much more. Optimus buried his head in his hands and sobbed quietly. His frame shook with tears for his love's safety. His cries became louder and longer. He started muttering Arcee's name and some incomprehensible prayers. Ratchet and Bulkhead took Optimus by the arms and helped him onto a berth in the medbay.

Ratchet took a seat beside the sobbing Prime and placed a hand on his back.

"Let it out Optimus. We're here for you." And he did. Primus he did.

Optimus took his hands away from his mouth and wrapped them around his frame, hugging himself. His torso bowed over the rest of his body and he wailed. His frame shook, despite Ratchet trying to comfort him. Bumblebee came up and hugged him from the right side around his chest. The prime clung to Bumblebee, his adoptive son, like his life depended on it. He tried to convince himself that this was Arcee, but he knew it wasn't, causing him to cry even more.

Miko had both her hands covering her mouth, sorry for what she'd said earlier. Jack pulled her in close and wrapped his arm around her and stroked her back, much like Ratchet was doing with Prime. She hugged him back and softly cried into his shoulder. Jack was tearing up too; his guardian was at the hands of the Decepticons. Who knows what they'll do with her?

Raf climbed up onto the berth and sat on Bee's knee. He too tried to calm Optimus down. To no avail. Bulkhead sat on the ground next to Jack and Miko and scooped them both into his hand. He tousled Miko's ponytails in an attempt to calm her down. He smiled internally because Jack seemed to be doing a good job as well. He just hoped that Jack would take care of her if they got together.

Optimus felt nothing but pain and dread. He didn't feel any of his teammates attempting to calm him down. His broken spark yearned to be close to his wife and child; he wanted them back so badly. He opened his optics and saw Ratchet, Bumblebee and Raf beside him, and Bulkhead, Miko, and Jack having their own internal battle. Jack met his weary gaze and spoke up.

"When she came to my house, I asked to feel the sparkling." Optimus' breath hitched, listening to Jack talk.

"She let me. It was wonderful Optimus...I felt it. I felt the sparkling." He stopped shaking, trying to concentrate on Jack's voice.

"At first, she was startled. She grasped her stomach. But then she realized that it was the sparkling; your and her sparkling. It was so awe-inspiring. There was life beneath my fingertips. I could hear the hum of its spark. I don't know much about sparks, but it was healthy. You're so lucky Optimus. And know that we will get her back. You will see your mech or femme, and you'll love it. You will see the love of your life, I promise."

Optimus found tremendous comfort in Jack's words. He was a Prime, and Primes are fearless, determined, strong. He _will_ see Arcee again, and he _will_ hold his sparkling as a new father. And he'll love both of them, forever and always. Optimus smiled to Jack as the boy returned it.

The Prime got up off of the berth and stood tall. He marched over to the console to search for any sign of Arcee. Jack and Miko were brought over by Bulkhead. He placed the two teens on the platform next to the console. Miko was still hugging Jack. Jack smirked and kissed Miko's head. This surprised her, but also delighted her. She pretended not to notice, yet her insides were soaring in happiness for this was the place she'd always wanted to be since she'd met Jack. Bulkhead looked at her, a knowing eyebrow raised. She grinned brightly and nuzzled his shoulder. The towering giant gave a thumbs up, which she returned.

After a few minutes of searching, Optimus got a hit. It was right beside the crevice Jack told him Arcee walked to. He activated the groundbridge.

"Autobots...roll out!"

XXX

Arcee groaned. Her optics fluttered open and her hands gripped her side where she'd been electrocuted. Scanning her surroundings, she realized that she was on the _Nemesis,_ in a cell. She huffed. _Figures_ , she thought, _typical cons_.

She stroked her belly and leaned against one of the three solid walls. There wasn't much in Decepticon holding cells. There was a slab of metal about 5 inches thick lying on the ground for a berth, a bucket served as a energon tank, similar to a toilet. There were three walls on the left, right and back of the cell, with a containment field around the wall looking out of the cell at the circular room which was the high security prison cells. There were 15 total. Right now, Arcee was the only one in a cell.

She got up and walked up to the field. She tentatively touched the electrified surface and was blown backwards into the back wall. She cried out in pain and looked at her winglets which were now dented and bent. She rubbed them in an attempt to relieve some of the pain. Arcee noted that the cons had improved their containment fields since the last time she was captured where Cliffjumper was used to bargain with her. Her time in captivity then wasn't fun, and now that she had something of value to the cons, she imagined that her time now would be even worse.

She heard the room's sliding door move aside. Her head snapped up along with her body. A set of piercing red optics greeted her, making a chill travel up her mechanical spine. She growled at the mech standing outside of her cell.

"What do you want Megatron?" Arcee spat. He grinned maliciously and disengaged the energy field. Once he stepped into her cell the field engaged behind him. Arcee backed up into the wall. Megatron began to walk slowly towards her. Arcee didn't show it, but she was scared. Scared of what would happen to her. Scared of what Optimus might be feeling. But mostly scared for the wellbeing of the sparkling.

Arcee's neck crained just to get a look at the Decepticon leader. She wrapped her arms around her belly, providing what defense she had to the unborn child. Megatron was now mere feet away from Arcee. He kneeled down in front of her. He produced energon cuffs from subspace and chained her to the wall, immobilizing her arms and leaving her stomach unprotected.

Instead of hurting her, Megatron stroked her head, side, thighs and stomach. She growled every time. Arcee tried to free her arms and Megatron chuckled.

"There is no way, femme. You are mine now."

"I will never be your femme you glitch!"

"A pity."

He then caressed her inner thigh, making Arcee suppress a moan. She tried desperately to stop, but her body simply wouldn't obey her commands. Megatron chuckled again.

"I want to congratulate you. Both you and Optimus." Arcee's optics widened.

"How did you-"

"I know many things my dear," he simply said, "But I am not here for that reason. I am here to give you a choice that may very well decide your and your sparkling's future."

"And that would be…?"

"Be my femme, and you'll live to care for your sparkling. If you refuse me, I take your sparkling and terminate you. Which do you choose?"

Arcee gulped. Of course she didn't want herself or the sparkling to die, but she certainly wouldn't betray Optimus like that by becoming the warlord's femme. She knew her husband; he would come for her no matter what and defeat Megatron. But it was a big gamble. Lives were at stake. Arcee decided to take that risk of being with her respective family.

"I will never by your femme for as long as I live."

"That was unwise femme. Very unwise." Megatron pressed a button on his arm and two vehicons walked through the door. Megatron exited the cell after replacing the energy field to ensure his prisoner's captivity. He ordered the two drones to guard her cell at all times. They replied with a curt "Yes, Lord Megatron."

Megatron left, leaving Arcee alone with her two guards.

One guard turned to the other and asked if he was thirsty. He answered yes and asked if he wanted some energon. Before the drone could reply, Arcee interrupted.

"I could use some."

"Be quiet femme!" The guard shouted and rammed his rifle into the field. Surprisingly, he didn't get electrocuted or thrown back. _It must only be electrocuted from the inside_ , Arcee noted. The other drone placed a hand on the enraged clone's shoulder. The drone nodded and left to get energon.

Arcee watched him go. She wasn't kidding that she needed energon; she hadn't refuelled since last night. Her sparkling needed energon to grow and thrive. Right now, she was feeling very weak, and with the internal repairs she was doing to her winglets, she needed energon now. Arcee's vision started to blur.

Suddenly, the drone turned to her and pulled out an energon cube from his storage compartment. De-activating the field, he slid the energon to her. Arcee caught it and drank it swiftly. When she was done, she slid the empty cube back to the clone. He replaced the field.

"Why?" she asked.

He faced her once more.

"What if I told you that I could get you out of here and back to the Autobots?"

XXX

 **That's it for this chapter! I couldn't wait to write this one, so I didn't! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and swift update.**

 **The next update won't be too fast. It'll most likely be in September or something...but then again this chapter wasn't supposed to be up until then as well so...don't hold me to anything!**

 **See y'all next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

"What if I told you that I could get you out of here and back to the Autobots?" the drone asked. Arcee scoffed.

"I'd say that you're crazy and if I wasn't in this cage, I'd probably try and kill you," the femme said viciously, ending with a snarl. The drone backed off.

"Fair enough. But if I can explain why I have an interest in helping you, would you listen?"

"Stop asking questions like that and I just might." Arcee could tell that if the drone had a mouth, he'd be smirking.

"Alright. So it all started 2 or so weeks ago…"

 _Flashback_

 _After a small but quick battle for control over a small energon vein, drone-267894 lay on the ground in a pool of energon. He coughed up the life force. He hated the Autobots for doing this to him. True, he knew he'd survive, but grudges weren't easy to let go of._

 _With a turn of his head, he saw the Autobot leader and a small blue femme about half of his size. Considering that he was only cloned 3 days before, he had never seen Autobots up close. He observed the pair, seeing the emotion called "love" pass between them. And thought he didn't know what love was, the drone could tell that their love was strong. He caught a quick glance of a sparkly, diamond and sapphire ring upon the femme's finger._

 _The two kissed, passionately. The drone was taught in his short life that Autobots were killing machines, and they knew no mercy or emotions. Boy, was he being proved wrong. The femme broke away and whispered something in Prime's audio receptor. The Autobot's optics widened and a smile spread across his face. The blue femme couldn't escape the tight embrace of her lover. She playfully smacked his arm. He kissed her again and let her stand._

" _I cannot believe it," the Prime said in bewilderment, "Me, a father." The drone was shocked. A sparkling? The leader of the entire Autobot army, about to become a father. WHy would they have decided to have a sparkling in the middle of a war? He was sure the pair had their reasons._

 _But now 267894 was conflicted. He would not hurt a sparkling, and for sure his boss would terminate his brother's sparkling and partner on-sight._ No _, the drone decided,_ I will not let that happen to a sparkling _._

 _And his mind was set. If the Decepticons captured either Optimus Prime or his mate, he would help both of them to escape._

 _End Flashback_

Arcee crossed her arms.

"It seems as though you've put lots of thought into this. But how can I know to trust you, especially when a sparkling's life is at stake?" The drone prepared for this. In case the prisoner didn't trust him, he'd promise them something.

"If I betray your trust in any way, I give you permission to offline me in any way you choose. The more painful, the better." Arcee smirked and uncrossed her arms.

"Deal. I'll plan for that."

"Ok."

Arcee stood up, using the wall as support as she was a bit lightheaded from the internal repairs. Her winglets would be healed, but still bent. The drone came closer to the field.

"Do you need anything? Energon, a scan?" She shook her head no.

"If you do need anything, don't be afraid to ask me, just not when the other guard is here. He thinks that all Autobots are killing machines and should be killed on sight. I guess he doesn't know the value of life."

"I guess not," Arcee agreed. She stroked her stomach, providing a calming aura for the sparkling in the dire situation. The drone tilted his head in a way that suggested if he had a mouth, he'd be grinning. Arcee saw this and smiled.

"What?"

"Your mate is very lucky. I can tell that you're a wonderful femme." Arcee blushed.

"Thank you drone...I mean...Primus that was rude. What's your name?" The drone lowered his head in a sad manner.

"I...don't have one."

"Seriously? Do you want one?"

"Very much."

"Well, how about Bob?"

"No."

"Matthew?"

"Are you simply choosing earth names?"

"...Maybe. Besides, I think an earth name would fit you."

"Fine. If it must be an earth name, I like Steve."

"Steve the vehicon...I like it."

"As do I femme...I mean, Arcee."

Their conversation was ended when the other guard strolled into the room carrying two energon cubes. Steve whispered, "Play along." Arcee nodded.

"How dare you say that about our Lord Megatron! I will see to it that your ration for the next three days is delivered to me," Arcee had a look of dread on her face, which made Steve almost stumble on his words, "210935, can you do that for me? I want to punish the femme, personally."

The other guard chuckled deeply and went to find the person in charge or rations.

"Well done Steve. I was scared...almost," Arcee praised. Steve bowed.

"You weren't to bad yourself Arcee. But in all honesty, I'll smuggle in some fresh energon cubes for you every day."

"Thank you, but how am I going to get out of here?"

"I'll think of a way. Now, you look exhausted. You should recharge; I'll keep 210935 at bay."

"Thank you Steve. I owe you a million."

"That you do. Now, rest."

In a few minutes, Arcee found a comfortable position and fell asleep. The other guard came back and saw Arcee unconscious with Steve looking at her. He purposely had his fists clenched. Not seeing how Arcee flew back into the wall earlier, he observed the damage to her winglet. He gave Steve a pat on the back.

"Great job buddy. With any luck, I'll get a chance to knock her out."

"I have no doubt that you will." Steve maintained a serious face, trying to figure out how to bust Arcee out of here without harming her or her sparkling...

XXX

 **Short, I know, but it's the best I could do in the time I had. The next update will guaranteed be delayed, due to the face that school starts in two days. Yay me…**

 **Don't forget to rate and review, it always makes me smile.**


	5. Chapter 5

_4 weeks._

That's how long Optimus had been separated from Arcee. And it was taking a toll on not only him, but the whole team as well.

Because Optimus no longer had the drive to fulfill his duties as leader, Ratchet had to pick up the slack. And it was no easy task being the leader and medic for Team Prime. Especially now that had Wheeljack joined the team. That wrecker could break almost anything, including other people. Miko almost got crushed twice, therefore Bulkhead was not very happy, so he went around smashing things too, therefore Ratchet was more unhappy than usual. It was a snowball effect that no one could stop.

Optimus was currently locked in his room...again. His mind was clouded and thoughts soupy. He no longer cried. He felt as though he had no more tears left to shed. His arms felt empty every night. His spark yearned to be close to hers. Arcee had become his rock, a foundation to not only support Optimus, but the team as well. If Optimus could function, the team could be a well-oiled machine. But Optimus couldn't function properly, so the whole team suffered. Thanks Primus there hadn't been any Decepticon activity lately.

Optimus vented and shifted positions on the berth. First on his back, then stomach, then his side. He needed Arcee, and he knew she needed him. Optimus had unwavering faith that Arcee could escape the Decepticons under normal circumstances, but she was carrying, and when the sparkling gets developed enough, it will end up weighing Arcee down, draining her energy and making it more difficult to escape. She'd need help once they found the location of the warship.

A loud crash came from the main room of the base, followed by incomprehensible yelling. Deciding enough was enough, Optimus got up off the berth, joints creaking in protest, and strode through the messy room to the door, which hissed open as he neared. The matte grey hallways gave off a claustrophobic effect, the sadness in Optimus' spark worsening by each step. The sight that faced him caused Optimus to sigh heavily.

Turns out the loud crash was a project that Ratchet had been working on, accidentally knocked over by Bulkhead who had been arguing with Jack. Eventually, Wheeljack had joined Bulkhead's side and Miko had joined Jack's. Ratchet was yelling at Bulkhead for breaking his project (like normal) yet this time Bulkhead lost it and hit Ratchet into a wall. Overall, this mess was practically unfixable for the emotionally damaged Prime.

As of yet, no one had noticed his presence in the doorway, allowing him to listen to the argument.

"For the last time squirt, Miko is _my_ responsibility, _not_ yours! You claim to love her, but do you love her enough to protect her from everything out there? You're weak compared to us! How do you plan to protect her? _I'm_ the one she needs!"

"You know what Bulkhead, you can go frag off in a corner! _Miko_ approached _me_ , and I couldn't be happier about it! If Arcee were here she would've kicked your sorry aft back to the pit you came from!"

"Jack!" Miko screamed, "Please stop! Both of you just _stop_! I love you both, you, Bulkhead, as a brother, and you, Jack, as something more. So will you both please apologize and we won't have to hurt anyone."

"I can't promise I won't hurt pretty boy."

"THAT'S IT! I'm sick of fighting with you Bulkhead! I'm leaving...for good this time!" With that said, Jack fired up the groundbridge and he ran through it, Miko soon following him. In a rage Bulkhead let out a bellowing cry and marched towards the hallway, storming past Prime, leaving poor Raf in tears and Bumblebee attending to Ratchet. One can only guess where Wheeljack went.

Optimus jogged over to Bumblebee and Ratchet. The medic wasn't roughed up that bad, he was just unconscious having hit his helm. Optimus helped Bumblebee place Ratchet onto a berth. Bumblebee couldn't believe what had just witnessed, hastily explaining exactly what had happened.

" _I don't know why they said those things Optimus. Why?_ " Prime sighed.

"I believe I know the answer Bumblebee. Because Arcee has been captured, I have not been eligible to perform my duties. Therefore, this team can no longer run as smoothly as before. I am to blame."

" _No Optimus_ ," Bumblebee said placing an arm on Prime's shoulder, " _it was the Cons. They're the ones causing you pain. And I promise we'll find Arcee. You'll have your wife and your sparkling in your arms soon._ "

"I hope so Bumblebee. For the sake of the team."

XXX

"How are you feeling today Arcee?"

"I'm fine Steve, how are you?"

Arcee leaned back against the back wall of her cell, hands on the top of her stomach which was now the most prominent thing on her frame. In human terms, Arcee would be about 6 months pregnant.

"I'm fine. We have about 5 minutes before the other guard gets here. You need anything?"

"A scan would be nice."

"Coming right up. Do you want me to…?"

"For the thousandth time. I don't want to know the gender. I want it to be a surprise...well, at least until I can see Optimus again."

"Fine, fine. Scanning now…" Steve checked the results. "Seems healthy. A little more exercise wouldn't hurt."

"I hope that was a joke."

"It was."

"Good. Cause I've been getting weird looks from the guards."

"Yeah, they've been telling me some stuff about you doing cardio by running around the room a million times."

"Well I do need to exercise. The doctor said so," Arcee replied sarcastically. Steve shook his head, inhaled slowly and closed his optics all at once. Arcee let out a short laugh. Steve reopened his optics when another drone walked in the room. Steve went to greet him and brief him on "the prisoner's" status. Arcee tried to look as broken and hurt as possible. She curled up on herself bringing her knees up and over her pronounced belly and her helm tucked between her knees. Her arms were wrapped around her frame. Lastly, Arcee placed herself in the back left corner.

Though she had Steve to look out for her, she feared for the sparkling. What if Megatron got bored and decided to pay her a visit? Surely he would notice that she was in perfect health despite only getting fed "once a week." And it was very likely that Steve would be discovered as an accomplice should that happen. But along with Arcee's fear for her sparkling, she feared mostly for its father, her husband, Optimus. She knew how much she meant to him and with her gone, he would probably blame himself for her capture. The two shared a special bond that allowed a faint awareness of the other's emotions. Lately all Arcee had been getting from Optimus was sadness and depression. She'd tried to send him feelings of security and happiness, but he was too shut out to receive them. And that scared her the most.

Arcee lifted her helm and looked to see if Steve was outside the cell. He was. How did she know? Well, he'd been wearing a bracelet fashioned out of scrap metal so that she could tell him apart from the other drone guards. He had also been standing guard with his arms behind his back, displaying the bracelet.

She prayed for him to turn around, thankfully he did. There was fear in her optics, real this time. He cocked his head slightly and moved his hand in four different positions, a signal they'd made up. They spelled out the letters T-I-M-E. She shook her helm no and signaled A-L-O-N-E. He nodded.

"Hey buddy. Is that rifle number 14?"

"It is."

"Yeah, I had that one last week and it jammed. Don't think it got fixed. You might want to get another one. Y'know, just to be sure."

"Oh, ok. Watch her like a hawk for me kay?"

"Will do."

Once the drone left Steve turned around and saw Arcee cowering on the floor, tears spilling from her optics. Steve immediately turned off the forcefield and ran inside with her. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Optimus. I can feel his emotions as if they were my own. He's so scared-" Her voice cracked and Arcee sobbed loudly. Not wanting to get too attached, Steve merely stroked her back. He knew she liked it there, for this wasn't her first panic attack. However this was to most severe one yet.

"Can you tell me what's happening slowly please?"

"H-he's scared...h-he's n-never scared. His fear is m-making mine worse! Steve! I want to see him, _uh,_ so badly!"

"Shhhhh, shhhhh. You know what, give me...a month, 4 weeks ok? Then you can see him. Ok?"

"O-ok. Promise?"

"I promise."

XXX

 **Yikes the chapters are getting worse and worse. I can't believe I haven't updated this in...what? 4 months or something? I'm so sorry guys! I completely forgot how long it has been. But thanks for sticking with me on this.**

 **PLEASE READ: IMPORTANT REQUEST**

 **My important request is I need something for the next chapter, and activity or plot twist or something. It can't be "Arcee has the sparkling" because that's planned for a later chapter (and I can say that because y'all should know what'll happen at the end of this story...NOT A SPOILER K?) It can be with the Autobots, Optimus, Jack, Miko, Arcee, Steve, anybody! Another thing is that Arcee can't leave the cell and Steve doesn't really leave the room. So yeah, if you can figure out what I need from you guys in that mess of words, please PM me with your suggestions. Thank you guys so much!**


	6. Chapter 6

**We got about 30 centimeters (12 inches or so) of snow yesterday after having a green Christmas. And I got to shovel...yay...So after freezing my tush off, I snuggled up under the blankets and grabbed my laptop.**

 **Since I was so cruel to you guys before, I decided to update Happily Ever After today. Your welcome.**

 **Enjoy!**

XXX

When Jack and Miko emerged from the groundbridge, Miko knew where they were immediately. The familiar home, garage and car provided enough evidence to tell her that they were at Jack' house. The groundbridge closed behind the pair as Jack stormed over to the little keypad on the side of the garage. He entered a code and the door groaned and creaked open. Slipping inside, Jack beckoned Miko inside.

Miko's eyes narrowed and she strode in after him. Once she got to him, her hand raised up and she slapped Jack across the face.

"Hey!" Jack yelled. "What the hell was that fo-"

"You know _exactly_ what that was for Jackson Darby!" Miko yelled back shrilly. "I'm ok with some friendly banter and a jokey insult every once in awhile, but you went _way_ over the line!"

"Well, he started it!" Jack tried. His excuse fell on deaf ears however, as Miko slammed her foot against the concrete, hurting her foot more than anything.

"Dammit Jack! I know _that_! But could you two at least try and get along...for my sake please?" Jack huffed and crossed his arms. "I'll behave if he does."

"And I know he will Jack. Just give him some time. He, heck, all of them are worried for Arcee and Optimus. It's affecting more than just him, Ratchet has been more stressed than usual, Raf has been more emotionally unstable. Even Bumblebee seems more sad. And you…" Miko trailed off, trying to think of an appropriate term, "You're scared...for her, right? I mean, if it was Bulkhead in that situation...I'd be terrified," she pulled Jack in for a tight hug, "But we're all here...I'm here, if you want to talk." Jack nodded from his perch on her head. This position ignited a strong feeling of deja vu for the raven-haired teen.

 _Flashback (_ _ **A/N: This idea was brought to you by JayBeeZZ**_ _)_

 _Miko had both her hands covering her mouth, sorry for what she'd said earlier. Jack pulled her in close and wrapped his arm around her and stroked her back, much like Ratchet was doing with Prime. She hugged him back and softly cried into his shoulder. Jack was tearing up too; his guardian was at the hands of the Decepticons. Who knows what they'll do with her? But he tried to be strong, for Miko._

 _Lately he'd been thinking about the Japanese exchange student a lot, constantly, in fact. He'd daydream about them in class, earning him a detention with her. Had she not been there, it would've been unbearable, but she was (unsurprisingly) and they'd passed notes for the entire hour and a half. After the detention ended, he'd offered her a ride home. And being the spunky girl she was, she replied with a "depends whose house it is." He smirked and replied, "mine."_

 _What Miko did then changed his life, or at least to Jack._

" _Good," Miko whispered. She then pulled him by his shirt collar and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. Getting over the initial shock, Jack responded by deepening the kiss and placing his hands on her hips. She in turn snaked her arms around his neck. Everybody from the detention walked outside and either cheered or groaned in disgust or jealousy, it was hard to tell which. But the pair didn't care._

 _Later at Jack's house, Miko and Jack were cuddling on the couch in the garage. She lay on top of him while he reclined against the armrest. His arms were wrapped around her waist, which appeared rather protective to any onlooker. After a while of cuddling, Miko dozed off and rested her head on his chest. This allowed Jack to reflect on why she all of a sudden was so bold as to kiss him._

 _The obvious answer was her attitude and personality. The girl had more balls than Jack did! But as he thought hard about it, it must've been Arcee and Optimus' love that rubbed off on her. The two were the perfect couple, never fighting and loving each other unconditionally. Jack speculated as to if Arcee had told her to just go for it at the wedding. Yeah, that could be it. Now that he thought about it, he did see the two girls conversing and pointing at him while doing so. At the time Jack thought that they were discussing how strange he looked in his suit. Oh wait, that was the tiny voice inside Jack's own head...oops._

 _Jack and Miko were so lucky to have each other in this time of tragedy. They were so fortunate to have found one another, and they were going to keep it that way for, hopefully, a long time._

 _End Flashback (_ _ **A/N: So Jay, you like it?**_ _)_

"Feeling better now?" Miko asked, breaking their hug. Jack nodded and pecked her forehead.

"Couldn't be better."

Suddenly the garage door opened and June Darby shut off the car. She stepped out dressed in her regular nurse's scrubs and hair tied back into a ponytail.

"Hey you two," she greeted. "How's a going?" The teens answered good. Thank God June knew about the two's relationship, or else it would've been one hell of an awkward situation to see Jack and Miko just randomly in the Darby's garage.

"How is everything going at base? I bet Optimus and Arcee are happy with their new baby on the way." Miko's head spun around to Jack. Jack had a look of dread on his face. Miko mouthed "you didn't tell her?" He shook his head no and facepalmed.

"Um mom...about that…"

"Uh oh...what happened? Are they alright?"

"Um...maybe...I mean, I think so, but...a-" Jack stammered. Miko shook her head and stepped forward.

"Arcee has been captured. Optimus is distraught...no one, including Ratchet, have seen him as scared as he is now. Like, ever." June placed her hand over her heart and had a look of extreme sorrow on her face.

"God..that's horrible. Ratchet is working on finding her right?"

"Of course mom," Jack stated. "He would do anything for them. But I...we're all terrified for Optimus and Arcee. Because Optimus can't function, the team is falling apart. In truth, I said some pretty nasty things to Bulkhead. I hope he knows that I'm sorry…"

"Well, I'm proud of you for admitting that. But do you think you could help Optimus...even if it's something as small as motivating him." Jack looked to Miko and she looked back at him, an unheard conversation passing between them. Miko looked to June and uttered, "Do you have any suggestions?"

"Well...tell him what happened at the hospital today…"

XXX

( **A/N: Next idea comes from 3luv4eva. Thanks!** )

Locked in his room once more, Optimus faintly heard knocking at his door. Bulkhead and Wheeljack were nowhere to be found, Ratchet was attempting to find the Decepticon warship, Bumblebee had took Raf home not that long ago, and the humans were all at their respective homes. Who could it be?

Reluctantly, Optimus left his berth and opened the door for his guests, Jack, June, and Miko. He greeted them solemnly and invited them into his quarters.

"Please Optimus, sit down. It's storytime," June requested. Too tired and depressed to argue, he simply sat back down on his berth. He looked to the humans.

"What did you have to tell me?" Jack pulled Miko close and June stepped forward.

"Today at the hospital, I helped to deliver a child," as she said that Optimus' shoulders slumped and his optics closed, "and this child's mother didn't have her husband there to aid her. So I had to fill in for him. But when I took my place, she refused my help, because she claimed to be able to feel her husband even when he wasn't there. And if I recall correctly, you and Arcee have a similar ability...correct?"

"...yes."

"So how do you think she's feeling right now? Scared? Probably. Sad? Definitely. In pain? Hopefully not but plausible. And if the bond you share works both ways, can you feel Arcee?"

Optimus stopped for a moment, his features becoming still and his optics became focused and concentrated.

"Yes."

"How does she feel?"

"...scared. Distressed. I believe that the sparkling is starting to cause her physical pain. She misses me...greatly...almost as much as I miss her." It was then that Optimus realized what June was saying.

"You are trying to tell me to try and find her, because she is never really separated from myself. I would not want to miss out on our sparkling's birth. And also, my pain is causing her pain to be greater...am I right?"

"Exactly. The kids and myself wanted to give you determination to find her. Not only for you, but for her, the sparkling, and the team as well. How you feel affects everyone around you. You have to be strong...for them...for her." Optimus closed his optics once more. The humans could tell he was calling for strength. When he opened his optics again, there was a newfound determination and drive behind them that almost startled them. He got up, opened the door, and called for Ratchet. Miko and Jack looked to June, who brushed her hands together and smirked.

"Piece of cake."

XXX

 _One month later (4 weeks)_

Optimus slammed his fist against the keyboard on the main console. It had been a month since June told him the story of the mother without her husband, and ever since then Optimus had been working nonstop to try and find Arcee. He'd been searching every sector of earth that he could at every given opportunity, scouring them for any sign of the _Nemesis_. Unfortunately, no such luck.

But at least everything had gone back to normal at the base. Bulkhead and Jack had put aside their differences and shared Miko equally (except for after hours, where Jack had his fill... _NOT_ what you think it is! You dirty minded people :) ) Ratchet was no longer stressed and was able to function and help Prime with locating the warship. Bumblebee and Raf were finally emotionally stable, laughing at everything, whether it be funny or not. June came by frequently to see the children, speak with Ratchet and motivate Prime. He appreciated it greatly.

A wave of pain prevaded the bond Optimus shared with Arcee, causing Optimus to clutch his spark. It was not tremendous pain, but it was simply a discomfort caused by the sparkling. Arcee's discomfort had been escalating every day, Optimus prayed that she would be alright and that she was getting help. But these feelings made Optimus work even faster. Optimus groaned and rubbed his optics.

 _I promise Arcee...I will find you soon._

XXX

( **A/N: The final two ideas are from Allyp098 and RisingGundam2006** )

The sparkling kicked painfully and Arcee groaned. Her due date wasn't for another 2 weeks, but man, did this sparkling kick the slag out of her! It was like it was saying "um, I'm done...let me out!" Steve had performed a scan and confirmed that there was nothing to worry about provided she rest and nothing strenuous happens during the final weeks. He'd also asked if she wanted to know the gender, and for the millionth time, she refused, saying she didn't want to know until she was with Optimus again.

It turned and Arcee placed a shaking hand over her overstretched midsection. Arcee now appeared to be 8-9 months pregnant. When she walked, she waddled. When Arcee and Steve were alone during some guard distraction, he'd laughed at her waddling, which in turn earned him an elbow in the gut. The sparkling was draining the energy from her at a rapid pace. Arcee could barely stand today. She couldn't imagine another 2 weeks of this!

Her cell still looked the same. Same bucket, same walls, same mat, but everything was worn. The mat, a dark purple before, now a lighter purple and fluff sticking from a corner where Arcee had gotten bored and began picking at it when Steve wasn't there to entertain her. The bucket had a few dents where it had fallen over and blue-black stains in the bottom. It had been cleaned multiple times, but not very well, therefore it smelled foul in that corner of the cell. The walls were slightly scratched, and there was a spot right above where Arcee's helm laid to rest that had multiple tallies covering the dark grey surface, a record she'd kept of the time she'd spent here. Arcee's nails were very sharp.

The door opening no longer drew Arcee's attention. The swoosh that accompanied it was usually just new drones swapping out with the old drones. The femme realized a few weeks ago that there was only four drones that watched her. Steve and his partner, and 2 other random drones. It varied who would watch her with who. Steve normally took almost 5 shifts at a time just in case she needed him, but even he needed to take a break. Now was one of those times. Arcee believed and hoped that Steve was getting some well deserved rest.

A pair of heavy footsteps approached the cell, but Arcee was too preoccupied with thinking of names for her sparkling to notice exactly how heavy they were. It wasn't until a malicious laugh echoed throughout the cell that Arcee looked at who came to visit her.

Megatron.

"Hello Arcee," he purred. The sparkling kicked painfully as Arcee stood up on shaky legs in a desperate attempt to appear even a bit more imposing. The warlord merely laughed.

"I'm here to collect my femme."

"I've already told you I'm not your femme! I'm Optimus' femme! I love him and that will never change."

"Yes...there is that little glitch in the system isn't there?" He began to pace in front of her cell. "But thanks to an old friend, I am able to make that glitch right." The door opened behind him and in walked Shockwave, the Decepticon mad scientist. Behind him, 4 vehicon drones, Steve included, wheeled in an operating table, a glowing purple tube, a few tools for cutting and an electricity prod. Arcee's spark dropped. Apparently her fear was evident because Megatron leaned closer to the forcefield wall.

"Now, let's see if we can make you love me."

Within no time, Arcee was strapped to the berth...tight. Her arms, legs, hips, and neck were bound by buzzing electricity cuffs, nearly impossible to break. Sure, she'd done it once, but at that time she was able to see her hands. In the situation now, you would have to factor in the neck brace and the bulging baby bump.

Trying to maintain her cool, Arcee taunted Shockwave, his resolution being to shock her with the prod. Out of the corner of her optic she could see Steve tense and grip whatever he was holding tightly.

"Lord Megatron," Shockwave called, "I am ready to implant the chip." Megatron looked confused.

"And what would this chip do exactly?"

"It will make the test subject forget everything about her previous life, allowing you to take control and manipulate her however you please. You may even get a sparkling out of it."

"Excellent. Proceed Shockwave."

Arcee screamed as the scientist stalked towards her, the tube in hand along with Steve beside him holding a cutting tool. Almost a thousand miles away, Optimus collapsed, head in his hands, screaming out of terror. He had to find Arcee _now_!

Arcee thrashed furiously, a final try to get even one of the cuffs offline, but with her energy drained, she couldn't continue due to exhaustion. Shockwave simply chuckled at her futile attempt. He was getting closer to her, and she couldn't do anything about it.

" _Goodbye Optimus_ ," Arcee whispered as she accepted her sanity. But something odd happened...Shockwave was blew into the farthest wall of the "merry-go-round" prison, an unseen force to blame. Megatron roared, grabbed the piece and charged towards the femme, only to have the same thing happen to him, this time it blew buckethead into the farthest wall 20 feet off the ground. The three vehicons dropped what they were holding and open fire on the forcefield, the shots rebounding and striking them either dead or unconscious.

Arcee was flabbergasted. What was all _that_?

Suddenly all of the clamps that held her in place disappeared. After rubbing her wrists, Steve lunged forward and caught them. She let out a surprised cry as he was dragging her through the ship by them.

"Where are we going?!" Arcee yelled.

"Escape pod. We're getting you and the mini you off of this ship."

"That's right. The month is up!"

"Yeah. Now c'mon!"

After another minute of running, Arcee nearly collapsed, catching herself halfway to the ground, panting heavily. Steve snickered.

"I don't think I can carry you. They don't exactly make drones like me strong. Please get up! There's only a few more turns to go!" Arcee took a few deep, steadying breaths and nodded. She got up and ran with Steve.

Once they reached the escape pod, Arcee couldn't help but point out, "Huh. I kinda expected the alarm to go off-" A powerful blaring almost deafened the femme and the drone. He motioned for her to get inside. Arcee nodded and climbed into the small space.

Just then Arcee heard blaster fire. Her helm shot back and she saw Steve holding his own against more than 10 vehicons. Arcee watched in horror unable to do anything as he took them down one by one. He managed to kill about 6 before an energy bolt scraped past the side of his chest, drawing energon. Arcee screamed at Steve to get in the pod. After coming to his senses, he obeyed and ejected the pod. Arcee attempted to stop the flow of energon coming from Steve's chest. Thankfully the wound was located on the side of his chest instead of close to his spark.

"Why would you take on all of them Steve?!" Arcee huffed while trying to stem the flow. "You're so incredibly lucky that you only escaped with just a minor wound! What if you were killed? I know for a fact that your armor isn't nearly as thick or durable as mine. What would I do without you? Wander...wherever this thing is going to crash? Come to think of it I can barely stand-" Steve covered her mouth with his hand. She cried out in annoyance.

"Do you ever stop talking?"

"Not normally, no."

An array of data flashed across the screen in a red hue. A small, less powerful alarm sounded within the pod.

"Are we being tracked?"

"No. Pods can't normally be tracked. And even if they could, I disabled this one's locater beacon about a week ago."

"Then what's happening?"

"We're going to crash land...in 3...2...1-"

The pod jerked forward and threw its occupants towards the outer layer. Arcee banged against the side, then the ceiling, and finally managed to hang onto the chair in the middle of the pod. Steve just kept on flying around. After about a minute of death grip, the pod finally ground to a halt, the door cracked open. Arcee opened her optics and squinted at the bright light that was outside. She hadn't seen daylight in nearly 3 months. She got up on shaky legs and stumbled around until she reached the door. It wouldn't open. She performed a roundhouse kick and the door crumbled and fell to pieces. Steve, who was lying on the ground, stared at her with his jaw hanging loose. She smirked.

"Piece of cake. Now let's go."

The pod landed in a dense forest. The trees stood twice as tall as Arcee, if not three times more. The trees, she believed, were pine and spruce, their first branches just being taller than her helm crest. Since Steve was taller than her, he'd most likely have some difficulty navigating.

The sparkling gave a strong kick and Arcee fell to one knee. Steve rushed over to help her up. Arcee grasped her stomach and groaned.

"I want this thing out." She smiled. "But not too soon."

"Let's go Arcee. I'll explain my plan as we hike, but we have to get to at least the base of that mountain over there," he pointed to a medium sized mountain about 30 miles from their current destination. Arcee groaned again. _Why did it have to be that far_?

The pair started their journey to the mountain. Steve explained his plan, as promised.

"So I have a device that can contact your base, but it's weak and old, so we need high ground to reach it."

"Could I use my COM link?"

"It would be jammed because of all the trees. And it's disabled, I couldn't find the codes to unlock your t-cog and COM link. Sorry."

"Don't be. Now, what'll we do when we get to the mountain?"

"We'll contact your base and you'll be reunited with your mate."

"Actually, he's my husband."

"An earth tradition?"

"Yes."

"Interesting."

"Well, since we both love earth, we decided to go through with their bonding tradition. I must say it was very enjoy-ugh!" Arcee suddenly stopped and grimaced, seizing her belly. Steve acted immediately, firing off question after question.

"Are you ok? What's happening? Is it time? What does it feel like? Do you need help?"

"Woah Steve! I'm fine. It didn't really hurt. It was uncomfortable, sure, but what concerns me is that I know what happened."

"What happened?"

"The sparkling dropped. Early." Steve's visor lifted. Arcee had only seen that happen when he was scared or surprised. Given the current situation...well...not that difficult to figure out.

"I suppose it's because of the stress today. Didn't you say that nothing should go wrong unless I'm stressed?" Steve nodded.

"How long before labor?"

"It could be a few hours, could be a few days. We can't really tell...we should get going, before we either have to stop permanently or until we can contact my team. Now let's get walking."

XXX

 **See? That's what happens when I rush. Grrrrrrrrrr…**

 **A big thank you to RisingGundam2006, JayBeeZZ, Aili-chan, 3luv4eva, and Allyp098 (who has an amazing story called 'They're Real?' I would highly recommend it.)**

 **Important fact, Steve and Arcee's journey is 30 miles long, which takes 3 days (approximately.) The next chapter will most likely take place at the end of the 3rd day, when they're near the mountain. Keep that in mind.**

 **Until next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**PLEASE READ**

 **I'm back! I wanted to get this chapter finished as I'm waiting for an important email.** _ **Keep in mind that this chapter takes place around three days after the last one, so Steve and Arcee are almost at the mountain, about 3 miles away.**_ **This chapter will be short...probably. I dunno, you can figure that out for yourselves.**

XXX

"S-Steve. I need to rest," Arcee groaned as she plopped down on the ground for the tenth time today. Steve stopped walking and sighed.

Arcee had been having a difficult time walking since the sparkling dropped into position. She'd been stopping to rest every hour and panting heavily as she did so. He knew that she was in pain, but every time he confronted her about it, she brushed it off with an "I'm fine, just give me a minute."

After the first hour of walking on the first day, Arcee asked Steve why he couldn't just transform and drive them to the mountain. His response was because he was a young clone, his t-cog was never activated, and therefore he was only good for maintenance and such. If he completed the mission in which he first saw Arcee and Optimus, then he would've gotten his t-cog activated. But because he failed it was postponed to another month from then, depending on loyal service. Arcee couldn't believe it, exclaiming how it was cruel to have such a thing done to you.

Snapping back to reality, Steve bent down and rubbed Arcee's back soothingly. "T-thanks," she stuttered. Her condition was worse than that morning. Steve feared that she'd have the sparkling soon, perhaps even sometime that day.

After a few deep breaths, Arcee stood up (with some added help) and began to walk slowly towards the mountain. They only had about twenty minutes to go before they could contact her base and get her some medical attention. Steve caught up to her and looped her arm around his shoulders and neck so that he could support a bit of her body weight.

The pair carried on like that.

XXX

Optimus sat on one of the berths in the medbay, clutching his aching spark. Ratchet administered a slight painkiller, in hopes that it would help. Granted, the old medic knew what was wrong with the Prime, and silently prayed for a miracle. Arcee had been gone for virtually all of her pregnancy, probably receiving no medical attention. And with her due date sometime within the next two weeks, she would need his help even more.

"She needs my help. She's in pain!" Optimus told Ratchet in full desperation-mode. Ratchet placed a comforting hand on the Prime's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Lately Optimus' bond with Arcee had deepened, the leader getting physical reactions out of Arcee's emotions. "We'll find her very soon Optimus. I promise." Optimus nodded. He sent Arcee feelings of comfort in hopes that she'd feel better, and then he stood up.

"I will aid you in finding her Ratchet."

"I had no doubts that you would. Now come." Ratchet ushered the Prime out of the medbay and back into the main hangar. As usual, the main room held a mournful appearance and aura. Bulkhead, Miko, and Jack conversed in a corner of the room and Bumblebee and Raf were on or behind the couch, playing video games while June watched. Ratchet and Optimus made their appearance but no one looked in their direction. Ratchet took his place at the keyboard and Optimus stood behind the medic, using his decoding skills to aid his old friend.

About ten minutes later, Optimus cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground. He screamed in fear of unknown forces. Ratchet rushed to his side and immediately asked him what he felt. The rest of the team gathered around the convulsing Prime, Bulkhead elevating his helm slightly off the hard ground. Raf was visibly shaken and Miko pulled him into a comforting embrace. Jack did the same with Miko. June did the same with Jack.

Autobot Outpost Omega-1 was in a full-fledged panic.

XXX

Arcee cried out in pain and collapsed to the mossy ground of the forest. She curled in on herself and clawed at her midsection. Steve gasped and laid her helm and upper body against a rock that shot up in a 45-degree angle, a perfect elevation device. Arcee screamed once more and arched her back, her optics shut tightly. She uttered one word,

"Time!"

Steve fell to the ground in shock. Arcee had gone into labour, and they weren't at the mountain yet! And by the looks of her, she'd have the sparkling soon. She must've started having contractions hours ago. How much pain has she been in?

"Arcee, we're not at the mountain yet! We can't stop now!"

"Well, I'm not moving-AAARRGH!" She spasmed, her helm hitting back against the rock. Arcee began to pant, a translucent energon sweat beginning to cover her forehead and face. She opened her optics and glanced at Steve.

"You have to g-go. I...I can't move. I've been having c-contractions for _hours_! _It huuurts_!" she wailed. Steve realized that he'd have to run to the mountain and back before Arcee gave birth. Which judging by looks would be around 10 to 30 minutes.

"O-ok. I'll be back soon, I promise." With that, Steve began to sprint full force to the base of the mountain.

XXX

"You have to find her Ratchet! Now!" Optimus demanded. The mighty Prime leaned up against the platform on the right side of the console, for the pain he was feeling became increasingly worse.

"I'm trying as hard as I can Optimus! I've narrowed it down to a few areas. But none are showing any signs of Cybertronian or human life! I don't know where she could be!"

Optimus began to sob. His faceguard flew out to hide his face and muffle his cries. Bulkhead and Bumblebee attempted to get through to him, but no dice. Optimus was inconsolable. Ratchet slammed his fist against the keyboard.

Suddenly, a message popped up on the screen. Ratchet read the information.

"It's an old frequency...a video conference...it's trying to hail us Optimus. It says it's for you." Ratchet turned to his direction. Optimus dried his optics and removed his guard. He sniffled once.

"Accept and put it on-screen."

An image of a drone in a forest filled the monitor. He was breathing heavily, trying to cool his internal temperature. His visor seemed to light up.

"Are you Optimus Prime, sir?"

"I am. How did you get this frequency?"

"That doesn't matter. The important thing is I know where Arcee is!" The drone started to run, the image becoming unclear. Optimus nearly fell over. Arcee! The drone knew where she is!

"Please, tell me where she is," Optimus begged, "I need to know!"

"Optimus!" Ratchet hissed silently, "A word please?" Optimus nodded quickly and bent down to Ratchet's level.

"We do not know if this is a trick. He could be leading us into a trap!"

"I will ask him if he can show her to us."

"Agreed."

The drone stopped running and bent down, the whole thing being seen by the Autobots, Jack, Miko, Raf and June. He disappeared from the frame, and then reappeared.

"Drone, what proof do you have to prove that you know where Arcee is?" The drone held up a finger and partially disappeared once more.

"This," he said and passed on the camera. What appeared on the screen next made everyone cheer and gasp. It was Arcee, alive.

"Arcee!" Optimus yelled, running closer to the monitor and the camera.

"Optimus!" Arcee exclaimed, letting tears roll down her silver faceplate. A large smile graced her mouth. "I missed you so much!" She then let out a scream of pain. "AAAAARGHHH! Optimus! Help me please!" The drone reclaimed the camera and showed Optimus a full view of her. Her swollen stomach bulged. Her hands clawed at anything she could find. Her legs were partially spread apart, energon flowing from between them. Ratchet assessed her and informed the Prime that she would have the sparkling any second now. Optimus sensed her relief and extreme pain. He ordered Ratchet to open the groundbridge and prepare the medbay.

With hope in his spark, Optimus sprinted through the groundbridge with Bulkhead and Bumblebee in tow.

XXX

Steve ended the call and held Arcee's hand as she squeezed his hand hard. He carried the pain like it was nothing. She screamed, optics closed and tight.

All of a sudden, a groundbridge opened a few feet from the femme and drone. Out sprinted Optimus, Bulkhead and Bumblebee. Steve immediately stepped back so that Optimus could take his place. Sensing the change of hands, Arcee opened her optics and started to cry happily. Optimus kissed her with all of the love and passion he had for her. She kissed him back, the pain she was feeling disappearing for a moment. But a moment later, Arcee broke the kiss and let out a shrill cry of pain. Coming to his senses, Optimus lifted Arcee up bridal style and carried her through the groundbridge. Bulkhead placed stasis cuffs on Steve and shoved him through the groundbridge.

Once through, Optimus ignored the human's questions and rushed Arcee to the small medbay in the main room, for there was no time to walk down the hall. Ratchet placed a pillow under her helm, draped a blanket over her lower half and told Optimus to hold her hand. The Prime nodded and took his place.

Arcee looked at him while Ratchet placed an energon drip into her arm.

"I missed you so much Arcee. I love you...both."

"And we love you t-to Optimus...AAAAAAARGGHHHH! IT HURTS! RATCHET IT HURTS!" June ran beside Ratchet.

"Do your kind give birth the same way as our kind?"

"Yes."

"Then let me help."

"Permission granted. I will get everything ready. You keep her calm and check the sparkling...er...baby." June nodded and stroked Arcee's belly.

"Hey Arcee."

"Y-Yeah?"

"Welcome back. Now, you're doing great. I'm just going to check to make sure everything's alright though ok?" In too much pain to reply, Arcee nodded.

June peeked underneath the blanket and frowned. She told Ratchet to take a look. He did and had the same reaction as June.

"Arcee," he called, "There is no need to panic, but the sparkling's helm spike is caught. After I dislodge that you will have to push, ok?" Arcee nodded again and screamed as another contraction hit her. Optimus massaged her stomach in an attempt to provide some comfort. Arcee calmed a tad once the contraction stopped. She smiled to Optimus.

"So this is it huh? Our lives are going to change forever."

"Are you excited my love?"

"Yes. But I think terrified is the better word. How about you?"

"I am thrilled. I love you so much Arcee."

"I love you too Optimus," Arcee looked to the humans, their guardians and Steve, "I love you all."

"We love you too Arcee!" Miko said, clinging to Jack who had his arms around her waist and chin rested on top of her head. Arcee smiled.

Ratchet placed his hand on Arcee's quivering knee. June stood by his side on the berth.

"Alright Arcee. This is it. Spread your legs apart please." She obeyed. Ratchet flipped up the blanket.

"Ready?" Arcee nodded and gripped Optimus' hand tighter. In a swift movement, Ratchet dislodged the helm spike. Arcee wailed as another contraction hit.

"Push Arcee!" Arcee groaned and pushed with all her might. She shrieked and fell back against the berth.

"I can't! It hurts so much!"

"You can do it Arcee!" Raf exclaimed. Miko and Jack nodded in agreement.

"You're the toughest one here!" Bulkhead said. Steve nodded.

"Don't let this get the better of you!" Bumblebee buzzed. Arcee cried out in pain when the contraction intensified.

"You are the strongest person I know Arcee," Optimus' calm voice sounded in her audio receptor, "Do not give up. I am right here. We are all here. We all believe in you. You can do this." Arcee grit her teeth and glanced around the room. She saw people cheering her on and her family that loved her. Even Ratchet had a look that said, "I'm so proud of you." With newfound vigour, Arcee nodded and angled her body up.

"Here we go, Arcee. Push!" Arcee pushed, her family counting for her. She let out a scream and suddenly all of the pain subsided. She fell back against the berth, panting. June covered her mouth with her hands, hiding her face. Optimus tightened his grip on Arcee's hand. The latter in a dazed state. Ratchet looked down in his hands. No one made a sound.

"Why isn't it crying?" Arcee asked, a desperate tone in her raspy voice. Ratchet lifted the small sparkling higher in his hands so that he could inspect it closely. Without warning, he smacked its bottom and it started to cry softly. Arcee and Optimus, along with everyone else in the room, let out a sigh of relief. Arcee started to cry happy tears while Optimus kissed her forehead and cooed lovingly. Arcee found his lips and gave him a passionate kiss. The couple was overjoyed.

But their moment didn't last long.

Miko let out a loud "YAHOO!" That sparked Bulkhead and Bumblebee to join into the celebration. Jack and Raf high-fived. June, no longer needed, climbed down to embrace her son. It touched the new parent's sparks to see their family so happy over the birth on their sparkling. Arcee looked to Steve, who gave her a thumbs up. Only then did she notice that he was in cuffs.

"Bulkhead," she called. The lovable lug trod over and knelt beside her berth to give her a big bear hug. She embraced him back and asked, "Why is he in stasis cuffs? He got me out of there. He gave whatever I needed...so could you let him go please?" Bulkhead smiled. "Sure Cee. Congrats."

"Thank you."

Bulkhead released Steve and he ran over to Arcee. He gave her a big hug, making sure that he was gentle. "Steve, I can't thank you enough for all you've done for this family. You saved me, for that, I'm in your dept," Arcee said sleepily. Steve nodded and felt a hand on his shoulder. The drone looked up to see Optimus' face cracking a small smile.

"Thank you for saving my wife and child Steve. If you would have it, there is always room for this family to grow." Steve smiled back (to the best of his ability with no optics or mouth) and replied, "I don't think I can go back even if I wanted to...thank you Optimus Prime sir." The two mechs shook hands. Arcee piped up from the berth.

"I think you could do with a makeover though Steve. I mean, the red visor is ok, but I'm sure Ratchet could make you some optics and a mouth...right Ratchet?" Ratchet finished checking over the sparkling and wrapped it up in a blanket. He strode over to the new mother.

"I am certain I could. Now, there is someone who I would expect you would like to meet. And she would like to meet you too." Arcee smiled and rested her hand over her chest where her spark was located.

"Sh-She? It's a femme?"

"Yes. Congratulations you two. She is beautiful." Ratchet placed the sparkling in Arcee awaiting arms. Pulling back the blanket, Arcee and Optimus examined their daughter.

The femme was a near-perfect replica of Arcee. Her helm was delicate and polished perfectly. Her light pink helm spike was straighter than Arcee's, supposedly from Optimus. Her large optics were closed and her yawning lips were wide open. Her faceplate was sparkling chrome.

The sparkling's body was identical to Arcee's in every way, from her small arms to her polished midsection to her fragile legs. Arcee's signature light pink accents were located in the same place as the sparkling's. The only difference between the two femmes was the shiny aquamarine finish, the same shade as Arcee's mother and Optimus' father. The little femme was beautiful.

Arcee held her daughter close in order to provide her some warmth. Sparklings couldn't regulate their body temperature until their second week, so they depended on their parents to keep them warm. Optimus held onto Arcee's waist with one hand and the other hand supported the sparkling from the bottom. Arcee nestled her helm into Optimus' shoulder. The humans climbed up onto the berth to get a good look at the sparkling. Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Steve and Ratchet came up behind the new parents.

"So," Ratchet said softly ensuring not to wake the sleeping sparkling, "What are you going to name her?"

Arcee smiled and whispered something in Optimus' audio receptor. He smiled and said, "I love it."

Arcee looked up to Ratchet and whispered,

"Luna. Luna-Racer."

XXX

 **Yay! I'm such a sucker for sparkling stories! I'm not declaring this done yet cause I might want to make some more fluff between Optimus, Arcee and Luna.**

 **Don't forget to review! I love hearing what you all have to say! So, what did you like about this chapter? Do you like Luna? :)**

 **Until next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Just a really short chapter to end this series :)**

 **(Autori Fantasia is currently looking over my shoulder as a really annoying spell checker. So grammar should be good on this one)**

 **XXX**

8 months later…

"Remind me why I saved this kid in the first place…" Steve requested robotically while 8 month old Luna painted his black armor bright pink. Arcee laughed and watched her daughter torture the poor mech from across the room and crossed her arms, giving the drone a shrug.

"Dunno," she said briskly. Luna giggled. She had taken Miko's paintbrush earlier in the day and somehow found a bucket of paint that was leftover from painting her nursery. When Steve found the baby, she had begun painting away at his pede, followed by his leg. Just as he was about to move his leg, Arcee burst in and stopped him, claiming "you would step on her." He had believed her when she told him not to move, however now he had a _sneaking_ suspicion that she had just wanted to take pictures of the mech while he was 'pinned down.'

But he still complied because he loved the little sparkling. He had watched her grow and learn, curious about the world around her. He must admit, it was very refreshing to not be immediately shot at and taken down by an Autobot.

Speaking of the Autobots, he was surprised with their generosity towards former Decepticon drones such as himself. Right after Luna was born, they team he now considers family immediately accepted him into their fold. He can thank Optimus Prime for that. Even the medic, who was known to be very grouchy at times, was ecstatic to welcome their new recruit. He even gave Steve the best gift of all...a new transformation.

Now, Steve was a black and purple mech, tieing back to his drone roots. His helm was the same design, only more armor adorned the top of his helm, much the same as Optimus'. His body remained the same, except that more armor was worn in the most vital areas. The former drone was even granted a fully-functioning mouth. His t-cog was also activated, much to Steve's pleasure. He found it most relaxing to drive the dusty roads of Jasper in the warm desert dusk. But the most notable new feature was his piercing blue optics and red optics. His white pupil was outlined in a bright red fading into a light phthalo blue. Ratchet had, uncharacteristically, respected his wishes to keep his appearance close to that of a drone, his roots, while still making him look "bad-ass," as the young female human, Miko, had exclaimed earlier in the month.

Optimus had him even officially drafted into the Autobots via a special ceremony that was usually performed at academy graduations. Every member of Team Prime had to go through with it, including Optimus himself. It was a small gathering, only the team, the humans, and the white mech who was very laid-back, Wheeljack. Still, however, Steve was honoured to have so much affection shown to him to fill the metaphorical void that cracked his spark when he was a melee slave of Decepticon experiments and warfare.

Steve was also the proud Godfather of young Luna, a role that he never fathomed could be possible until he met Arcee approximately a year ago. He quickly accepted, of course.

Speak of the little aqua devil…

"Ok Luna, sweetspark, that's enough for one day," Arcee lightheartedly scolded while taking the art supplies away from her daughter. Luna whined and lifted her arms pitifully in Steve's direction. The black and purple mech laughed and fulfilled the 8 month old's request and nestled her in his arms. He noted a few months prior that being held securely in someone's arms was her favourite place to be. Arcee smiled warmly and took a sneaky picture of the two from across the room before walking over and reclaiming Luna. Luna wriggled in her mother's arms to get comfortable before yawning. She also grimaced as her stomach let out a loud gurgle.

"I think she's hungry," Steve blatantly pointed out. Arcee rolled her optics.

"No Steve, really? I didn't notice…" she quipped sarcastically. She smirked suddenly.

"I don't suppose you'd like to grow a pair of breasts and feed her?"

"Polite pass," replied Steve, hands up to admit defeat. Arcee could almost envision a tiny white flag waving above his head. She snickered at the mental picture.

"Goodnight Steve."

"Goodnight Arcee, goodnight Luna."

When Arcee left the room carrying his goddaughter away, he sighed contently and closed the door, as if to shut the world out for just a moment. He let a grin grace across his face and he thought to himself, out loud,

"I love my life."

 **XXX**

 _ **PLEASE READ**_

 **And, sadly, this marks the end of this series. I found this series in particular very difficult to write, for reasons unknown but whatever, life goes on I suppose. Thank you all so much for sticking with me on this journey that all started with a funny story about stunts and pranks, you guys have literally been the driving force behind this entire series. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!**

 **Cookies for all! XD**

 **Whew, that just leaves, like, what? One more story to finish off before I can start a new one? Wow, time sure does fly. I guess I'll see you all in the future for more fics!**

 **Make sure to leave a review about what you thought about the series, and maybe if any of you have an idea for another story, whether it be related to this one or not, send a direct message my way. Your idea might just be the inspiration behind a new story! You'd get recognition, of course :)**

 **See you soon!**


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